A fixing device includes a heating roller and a pressing unit. The pressing unit includes a pressurizing belt and a pressurizing roller. The pressing unit presses a recording medium such as a sheet against the heating roller to thereby thermally fix toner to the recording medium. The fixing device sometimes weakens the pressing force applied by the pressing unit in order to prevent creases from occurring in the recording medium.
If the fixing device weakens the pressing force applied by the pressing unit, pressing of the heating roller by the pressurizing belt becomes insufficient. Therefore, in the fixing device, in some cases, the pressurizing belt does not follow the heating roller and as a result the recording medium is less easily conveyed.